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Bad Twin
Bad Twin is a book created in the LOST 'universe', then released as a real life tie-in novel. It is available in hardcover and audiobook. It was written by Gary Troup who was later unveiled to be ghostwriter Laurence Shames. Read More Hyperion Publishers tout the book as 'a suspenseful novel that touches on many powerful themes, including the consequence of vengeance, the power of redemption, and where to turn when all seems lost'. History Bad Twin was written by (fictional author) Gary Troup, who delivered the manuscript to Hyperion Publishing just before his fateful trip on Oceanic Flight 815. It is unknown if the author survived the crash, but the manuscript was found and read by Hurley (in Episode 2x13—The Long Con). The manuscript was later acquired by Sawyer. Before Sawyer could finish reading it, Jack burned the ending to emphasise his serious demand that Sawyer hand over the stolen guns (Episode 2x20—Two for the Road). About the Novel The main character of Bad Twin is Paul Artisan. The book centers around Artisan's search for Clifford Widmore's 'mirror' twin, Alexander (the supposed Bad Twin) who has a personality similar to Sawyer's. Apparent Anachronism The note from the editors indicated that the author was lost when Oceanic Flight 815 crashed in September 2004. However, page 204 of the book details the main character learning of the cessation of Scottish feudalism on 28 November 2004 (the factual, real-world date). This is however only an apparent anachronism, since the "appointed day" for the end of feudalism had been set well in advance, in 2002 (see page 2 of linked PDF). Publisher's Summary Sometimes evil has a familiar face . . . Paul Artisan, P.I. is a new version of an old breed -- a righter of wrongs, someone driven to get to the bottom of things. Too bad his usual cases are of the boring malpractice and fraud variety. Until now. His new gig turns on the disappearance of one of a pair of twins, adult scions of a rich but tragedy-prone family. The missing twin -- a charismatic poster-boy for irresponsibility -- has spent his life daring people to hate him, punishing himself endlessly for his screw-ups and misdeeds. The other twin -- Artisan's client -- is dutiful and resentful in equal measure, bewildered that his "other half" could have turned out so badly, and wracked by guilt at his inability to reform him. He has a more practical reason, as well, for wanting his brother found: their crazy father, in failing health and with guilty secrets of his own, will not divide the family fortune until both siblings are accounted for. But it isn't just a fortune that's at stake here. Truth itself is up for grabs, as the detective's discoveries seem to challenge everything we think we know about identity, and human nature, and family. As Artisan journeys across the globe to track down the bad twin, he seems to have moved into a mirror-world where friends and enemies have a way of looking very much alike. The P.I. may have his long-awaited chance to put his courage and ideals to the test, but if he doesn't get to the bottom of this case soon, it could very well cost him his life. Troup's long-awaited Bad Twin is a suspenseful novel that touches on many powerful themes, including the consequence of vengeance, the power of redemption, and where to turn when all seems lost. Excerpts An excerpt from the audiobook version can be found at the www.Soundsgood.com Bad Twin product details page. Lost-related Entities Mentioned This book mentions several corporations and people that are related to Lost and present within the television show. Corporations/Organizations * The Hanso Foundation * Paik Heavy Industries * The Widmore Corporation * Oceanic Airlines * Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack Characters * Alvar Hanso * The Widmore family * Thomas Mittelwerk * Cindy Other Crossovers * Numerology: ** Zander was born on 8/15, Cliff on 8/16, 23 minutes apart ** The Widmore gate code is #81516 ** THF is on floor 42 of the Widmore building ** Cliff begins to search for Zander 4 months after he disappears, which according to Cliff was on April 15th (4/15) * The boat Moth was working on is named "Escape Hatch" * Cuban guy: "You're him?" * There is a benevolent druggie character named “ Moth” (also title of S1E07, about another misunderstood druggie–Charlie) * The city of Luna is rumored to have electromagnetic healing properties * Manny: “Not all who wander are lost” (quote of J.R.R. Tolkien, also was used in television promotion campaign for the LOST series) * Referring to Peconiquot Island: "As with every island, there was something slippery and mysterious about Peconiquot. It was connected to the larger world, but then again it wasn't. It had a logic of its own, a highly local mythology that made perfect sense within its confines yet fitted uneasily with the mind-habits of the world beyond its boundaries...being an island, and a small one at that, it was also a place where people were easy to find." * Zander: “There are certain things I believe in – like Good and Evil… the hard part is, you don’t only choose just once… most of us have to keep choosing, day in, day out. Year in, year out. Good or bad, which way am I going to go…” Paul: “That’s the idea of purgatory, right?” Zander: “What if there is no purgatory… What if there is no heaven? No hell either? No afterlife at all… This is our chance to get it right. First chance, last chance, only chance. But that’s exciting, beautiful, right?… Our work in this life is to choose good over evil. To be fair. To be kind. And there is a payoff, though it doen’t have to do with harps and wings. The payoff is peace of mind. That’s what redemption really is.” Meta-Fictional Characters These characters are so far only known to exist within the fiction of the book. They may be based on other Lost-related characters, or may be completely fictional constructs. * Paul Artisan - Main Character * Clifford Widmore * Alexander Widmore * Arthur Widmore * Shannon Widmore * Vivian Widmore * Monty Alban * Keith "Moth" Baker * Manny Weissman * Dr Richard Edmonds * Sky * Captain Jocko * Crunch * Argos * Elio * Pru * Mr Thursday * Joe Ferrer Fictional Locations * Floridito Restaurant in Havana Cuba * Mr. Cluck's in Los Angeles, California * Helios Foundation in Luna, California * The Rocks Hotel, Sydney Australia * Lizard Island, between Sydney and Bali Connections to The Lost Experience : See an interview on the author's page, and see also the Hanso Foundation advertisement and press releases related to Bad Twin :: For a brief chronicle of the "happenings so far" in the game, see Timeline - The Lost Experience' :: ''For Lost Experience clues detailed in-depth, see The Lost Experience clues thehansfoundation.org website Thehansofoundation.org updated its site with an entry dated Fri 12/05/06 (May 12, 2006) entitled: "Don't Believe Bad Twin". The entry is linked to a press release, whose contents are below: A photocopied image with an identical message appears on letyourcompassguideyou.com. Theories and Other Thoughts * It is unknown whether the published novel is the same as the version in the typed manuscript on Flight 815. There may have been multiple manuscripts, or the publisher published an earlier draft submitted by Troup. * Based on appearances, the manuscript appears to be a screenplay adaption of Bad Twin, perhaps written on spec by Gary Troup. He may have been flying to Los Angeles to take Industry "meetings" about his Bad Twin screenplay. * The novel references the detective novel Trent's Last Case, which it describes as being solved halfway through, but then is proven wrong and has to be resolved. It could indicate that the reasoning presented at the end of Bad Twin to explain events could be wrong. With the fuss the Hanso makes about it, they could be behind the killings therein. * On page 27 of "Bad Twin," Artisan comes upon websites linking the Hanso Foundation to the Widmore Corporation - more specifically, projects regarding "new techniques for reinforcing concrete." Maybe Widmore helped design the Swan and the concrete that contained the electromagnetic power? * Chapter 10 has a part where Moth, a friend of Zander's, once thought that Zander "looked like a goddamn clone of Cliff," possibly referencing one theory that exists on the island. * The book jacket notes that "Bad Twin" touches on the themes of "good vs. evil, purgatory, and redemption," further confirming these themes within the "Lost" series. ** Purgatory is referenced outwardly numerous times in the book. *** First mention is Chapter 14, when Paul Artisan is going to meet with the coroner: "The doors finally opened on a spotless, glaring hallway, a sort of pit stop on the way to eternity, a purgatory of bright white tile and fluorescent lights." *** Later, in Chapter 15, Manny Weissman and Paul Artisan discuss the concept of purgatory at length: "Fascinating subject, purgatory...You've read your Dante, I hope?...The Paradiso is a total snooze. I mean, eternal bliss is probably a nice thing to experience but as a subject for poetry, it stinks... As for the Inferno, it's got some great gruesome bits in it, but it's mainly Dante coming up with sadistic torments... But the Purgatorio - that's an amazing and exciting piece of work....That's where everything is up for grabs. The stakes could not be higher. There's suffering, but unlike on earth, the suffering isn't senseless and random. It has a meaning and purpose. Destinies balance on a kinfe edge. The slightest slip dooms you to perdition. Not just for a while. Forever. No more second chances - Purgatory is the second chance, the last chance. The hard road and the only road that can lead on to redemption." - Troup, Bad Twin, p. 99 *** Manny's dissertation to Paul is referenced in Chapter 16: "What Manny Weissman had said about purgatory was also true of cases in which people died: Destinies were balanced on a knife edge; between life and death there was little room for error or time to recover from a stumble, and for some people, at least, there would be no more second chances." Troup, Bad Twin, p. 106 *** Jack, in Tabula Rasa, says to Kate, "What you did before the plane crash, what you did then, it doesn't matter. Three days ago, we all died. We all deserve a second chance." Interesting... * The book also references being in "another world" many times in the novel, especially in Chapter 14: "His hands were clammy, and as if by instinct, his eyes sought out a window, an escape, an assurance that there was still a world beyond this glaring antiseptic chamber." (p. 87) A couple pages later, "When door closed again, there was a slight whooshing sound, as if the worlds on either side of the door had different pressures, different atmospheres." - Troup, Bad Twin, p. 89 ** In Chapter 16: "Maybe death was even more more unsettling on an island. Maybe it seemed like an obscene visitor from the world beyond, an uncouth guest that carried not just a single tragedy but the threat of some horrible contagion." *** This references not only the "other world", but also the concept of The Island and something like the sickness. * There are at least two instances of glaringly bad word usage, perhaps intentional? Example, page 207 "Not too sure I feature that" - "feature" being used in a sense of "would like". * There are also examples of strange observations through out the book, such as on pg. 33 Artisan notices Cliff Widmore's lavender shirt but on pg. 45, within the same scene, he comments the shirt is mint green. Now these instances could just be sloppy editing but also could be a comment on perception. The Lost producers' attention to detail is extraordinary so could the instances of bad word usage, which is referenced in the previous bullet point, and these observations be something that just slipped through the cracks? Maybe not. * There is a reference to an ancient map on the wall in Widmore's Locust Valley estate of Caledonia, which is one of the old names for Scotland, BUT New Caledonia is also currently an island off the eastern coast of Australia. Coincidence? No way See Also * Appearances of Literary Works External Links * The Book at Amazon.com * Bad Twin on the Hyperion Website. * Bad Twin on the Gary Troup Website. Category:Kulturelle Referenzen Category:Romane Category:The Lost Experience Category:Bad Twin